A typical Chow Chow tops out around 17.2 mph in Fast CAT. The fastest one on record ran 24.15 mph. 5.5 mph slower than the typical dog (22.7 mph). Even a typical Chow Chow would beat most people in a 100-yard sprint.
Based on the best Fast CAT run of 81 Chow Chows, a typical Chow Chow tops out at 17.2 mph, and half of them run faster than 17.8 mph. That makes the Chow Chow the 193rd fastest of the 226 breeds that have run Fast CAT.
1 Chow Chow has topped 25 mph, but none has reached 30 yet.
Among the most popular Non-Sporting breeds, the typical Chow Chow is the slowest of the 9. The Dalmatian is the quickest of the bunch at 25.1 mph, and the French Bulldog (17.4 mph) runs closest to the Chow Chow. Over Fast CAT's 100 yards, the 7.8 mph gap to the Dalmatian is about 3.72 seconds.
Dreamland China Bay The Unsinkable Red Mollie holds the fastest consistent run by any Chow Chow: 24.15 mph at the Gloucester Kennel Club of Virginia in Virginia on October 26, 2025. That's 100 yards in 8.47 seconds.
AKC's results also show Pyatyi Element Evrika at 28.45 mph, but that dog's next-best run is 17.80 mph. A jump that big is usually a timing or typing error, so we flag it rather than crown it.
On Dash-Hound, the fastest Chow Chow is Leo, with a best of 15.07 mph over 4 logged runs.
Chow Chows come in more than one Fast CAT height group. 40 measured over 18 inches and averaged 17.2 mph; 41 measured 12 to 18 inches and averaged 17.3 mph. Smaller dogs earn extra points per mph toward their titles, so the shorter ones rack up titles faster.
A little. The typical Chow Chow ran 15.5 mph in 2023 (25 dogs) and 18.4 mph in 2025 (31 dogs). As more everyday pets join in, the average moves around.
Virginia has the most Chow Chow runs, 312 of them, followed by Ohio, California, North Carolina. The fastest Chow Chow run in Virginia is 24.15 mph.
Short legs don't stop anyone from having a blast. Any AKC-registered Chow Chow over 12 months old can enter, small dogs earn twice the points per mph toward their titles, and the crowd always cheers loudest for the little ones. Have someone your dog will run to waiting past the finish line.
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Speeds from AKC Fast CAT results. Photographers: spotted your work? Tell us at [email protected] and we'll credit it or take it down.